1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel, and more particularly relates to a lens barrel for supporting a zoom lens system with which the focal distance can be changed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years have witnessed the increased popularity of digital cameras, in which a CCD (charge coupled device), CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensor, or other such imaging element is used to convert an optical image into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is digitized and recorded.
In the field of digital cameras, the overall size of the camera needs to be reduced in order to make the product more portable. More specifically, a more compact lens barrel has been proposed in order to make the camera body thinner, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2005-157305.